A Legacy of Friendship with Jane Barton Griffith

Now, you've said that you never intended to go to Vietnam.

Before we talk more about your experiences there, can you give our listeners a little bit of background on the American Friends Service Committee, or the AFSC, and how you ended up in the Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai?

I think the most important aspects of AFSC is that because it was founded by Quakers, it, it's a pacifist organization.

Basically, it opposes violence.

They also believe there's light in every person.

Mm-hmm.

So, this is one of the reasons why they treat people on both sides during, civilians on both sides during a war, the war, and also why they wouldn't enslave people during the early part of our, our country when, when there were so many people that were enslaved.

So they started, AFSC started actually during World War I, and it was helping refugees and war victims.

Then after World War I, it turned to more domestic issues and focused on racial issues, immigration, labor issues, prisons.

Quakers have always been interested in prisoners, not in the sense that they wanted them to be in prison, but because they felt every person was equal and had potential, so therefore prisons were not a place where they should be kept.

Mm-hmm.

Then in 1947, they were actually given, um, uh, the Nobel Peace Prize for some of the work-

Wow

... that they've had done during wars.

World War II, they were very active, uh, obviously in Europe, uh, France and Germany, and they focused on helping those people that weren't being helped by, uh, established organizations.

For example, they would be sure to help non-religious Jews or a couple that was a Jewish and Christian who didn't quite fit into m- m- many of the Jewish organizations that were helping people.

They helped with protesting and helping Japanese Americans that were interned in those camps during World War II.

Then in 1948, the UN invited AFSC to do emergency refugee work with Palestinians, and that began their long, long interest in, in Palestine.

At that time, they actually for the, were in charge of all the refugees in the Gaza Strip.

So, I've continued actually to be interested in, in Palestine, as was my father.

So, not everybody that works for AFSC is a Quaker, um, as long as they are willing to adhere to-

Sure

...

some of the, the general principles.

Then I was actually working at the National Gallery of Art, and I was in a very privileged situation, but around me in Washington, DC, I mean, all the anti-war activity was happening.